Can New England Finish Strong? Week 18 Preview

Matt Hylen
3 days ago
3 min read

This is it; after a long season of ups and downs, the New England Patriots will wrap up an incredible regular season with a matchup against division foe the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots, who stand at a record of 13-3, are still in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC, while the 7-9 Dolphins will be looking to play spoiler to the party. There is still a lot at stake for both teams, so let's get right into the preview!

Injury Report

The Patriots will be gaining some major reinforcements this week, as OT Will Campbell and DT Milton Williams were both taken off IR this week and plan on playing. Otherwise, here is a look at the rest of the injury report for the Pats:

OUT

LB Harold Landry (Knee)

LB Robert Spillane (Ankle)

DL Khyiris Tonga (Foot)

OG Jared Wilson (Concussion)

As for the Dolphins, their laundry list of injuries includes a couple of big names that could impact the game for them in a negative way. Those injuries are the following:

OUT

Minkah Fitzpatrick (Calf)

DOUBTFUL

RB De'Von Achane (Shoulder)

QUESTIONABLE

LB Quinton Bell (Illness)

OL Aaron Brewer (Neck)

LB Jordyn Brooks (Hamstring)

OL Austin Jackson (Back)

LB Chop Robinson (Concussion)

K Jason Sanders (Hip)

WR Jaylen Waddle (Ribs)

My 3 Keys to the Game

To start, I would like to see the run defense improve. The Patriots were among the best in football in run defense at the start of the year, but fell off significantly since week 11 when DT Milton Williams got hurt. Now that he is likely to return this week, I want to see New England get back to their run-stuffing ways and prevent Miami from getting anything going on the ground. Though I anticipate Williams to be on a limited snap count, he should still have plenty of opportunity to make an impact on this game. Stopping the run at the level in which they did to start this season is crucial if the Patriots want to make it far in the playoffs, so start here and remind the league of just how stout the defensive line is against the run.

Secondly, I would like to see the offense flow in the same way it did last week against the Jets. Miami's defense is among the worst in football, and considering the state of their offense, it should give the momentum to the Pats right away. I need to see Drake Maye and the offense make quick work of this Miami team and get ahead early so that come the second half, Vrabel can sit the starters. Basically, the offense needs to take care of business and get out of this one healthy.

Last but not least, the defense needs to be ready for a complete change in game plan from the Dolphins. With De'Von Achane likely not playing this week, that means Miami's entire offensive identity, which included screen passes to set up the play-action, will be thrown out the window. This is a much different Miami team than the one the Patriots played earlier this season, so accounting for a likely entire game plan change will be crucial if the Patriots do not want to get shocked on the defensive end.

Who Wins?

Credit to David Silverman/New England Patriots

With so much on the line, there is no doubt the Patriots will be treating this game like a playoff matchup. That is, until the game gets out of hand. I feel as though this matchup could be similar to what we saw last week against New York, but the difference is New England is healthier than they were last week. Though Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers has played decently in his chances to start, the Dolphins seem a little too banged up and will be missing a few too many crucial pieces to keep up this week.

With that said, I am going to have to take the Patriots in this one by a score of 38-17. It might take New England a little longer to start piling it on, but this entire game is a mismatch. Yes, the Pats are also missing key pieces, but it isn't nearly enough to create a major concern if you look at the other side of things. I think New England should win this game pretty handily, giving themselves a chance at gaining that #1 seed with a 14-3 record.